Congressman Mike Sodrel

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Traditional Hoosier Values

Values play a central role in the lives of Americans and in the formation of a civil society. Our Founding Fathers established this country based on values and God-given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Rep. Sodrel understands the importance of values to America. He is working to protect the lives of the unborn, to practice a person’s religion of choice, and ensure the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.

H.R. 552-Right to Life Act: The miracle of life must be respected and the federal government is responsible for protecting the lives of the citizens especially for the pre-born. Rep. Sodrel is a proud cosponsor of H.R. 552. This bill declares life begins at conception and the pre-born would be guaranteed by the Constitution the right to life. He believes unborn children are the most vulnerable because of their silent voice and need to be protected.

H.R. 748-Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act: Parents should be involved in the decisions of their minor children. Rep Sodrel voted in favor of H.R. 748. This bill would prohibit transporting a minor across a State line to obtain an abortion in order to circumvent parental notice laws in the minor’s home state.

Abstinence Funding: Each year, three million American teenagers contract a sexually-transmitted disease (STD) that endangers their health and happiness. Studies have also consistently shown that teenagers who engage in early sexual activity are more likely to become depressed, attempt suicide, and have problems forming stable marriages. Rep. Sodrel joined with other colleagues by signing a letter to ranking members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education to increase funding for abstinence education for Fiscal Year 2006. The final conference report included $114,500,000 for Community-Based Abstinence Education (CBAE), of which, up to $110 million may be used for a national abstinence media campaign. This legislation was signed into law by President Bush on December 30, 2005.

H.R. 1357-Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2005: Rep. Sodrel is a cosponsor of H.R. 1357 to prohibit human cloning. It would also prohibit the shipping and receiving of embryos produced through human cloning or importing embryos or embryo derived products.

H.R. 2520-Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005: Adult and cord blood stem cell research is a proven medical success for the treatment of 58 human conditions. The greatest promise for continued advancement in easing human suffering is clearly found in this exciting new chapter of research. Many clinicians agree this vein of stem cell research is the future of modern medicine. Rep. Sodrel is a cosponsor of H.R. 2520 to establish a national collection and maintenance of human cord blood stem cells for the treatment of patients.

H.R. 4776: Rep. Sodrel introduced H.R. 4776 on February 16, 2005 to remove the review of content of speech in the legislature from the jurisdiction of federal courts as a direct result of a federal district court judge’s ruling, in the case of Hinrichs v. Bosma, that ministers invited to deliver invocations before the Indiana State Legislature, and the legislators themselves, must not make any reference to Jesus Christ or to the Christian religion. Rep. Sodrel believes the decision regarding the case of Hinrichs v. Bosma goes beyond freedom of religion, to threaten the freedom of speech, and imperils the foundation principles of our representative republic. If federal courts can regulate any speech of the members of a legislative body, then those courts can regulate all speech. This bill involves the checks and balances provided by the U.S. Constitution to ensure federal judges do not overstep their authority

H.J.Res. 57- Religious Freedom Amendment to the Constitution: The First Amendment prohibits the governmental establishment of religion, but also says there will be no laws to abridge religion. Recently, court decisions are challenging this liberty by taking it out of the public square (i.e. public schools). Rep. Sodrel is a cosponsor of H.J.Res. 57 to affirm the peoples’ right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, and traditions on public property, including schools. In addition, it reaffirms the prohibition against the establishment of religion by the United States or any individual State.

H.J.Res.88-Marriage Protection Amendment: Rep. Sodrel believes traditional marriage should be defined between a man and woman. Therefore, he is a cosponsor of H.J.Res. 88. Marriage is a fundamental and universal institution whereby a man and a woman are joined together for the primary purpose of forming and maintaining a family. Individual marriages are recognized by the state, but the institution of marriage itself was not created—and thus cannot be redefined—by government.